The Nutri-Score nutrition label has been found to improve consumers’ food choices in several previous studies. It is not clear though why this would be the case. Using a multi-methods approach consisting of four experimental studies (covering in total 1150 respondents and 145 products), we provide evidence that the Nutri-Score serves as a health prime and activates health goals in and of itself. This health goal, in turn, leads consumers to make healthier food choices. As part of an experimental-causal-chain design, Study 1 (n = 304) shows that the presence (vs. absence) of the Nutri-Score on product packages leads consumers to activate a health goal. Study 2 (n = 351) then shows that a manipulation of health goals increases the healthiness of respondents’ shopping baskets. Studies 3 (n = 225) and 4 (n = 259) replicate this substantive finding using traditional measurement-of-mediation designs (Studies 3 and 4), while at the same time excluding injunctive social norms as a rival explanation for the Nutri-Score effect (Study 4). Identifying why the Nutri-Score enhances healthy food choices is important as it increases our understanding of how nutrition labels can be further improved. Implications for public policy makers, retailers, and manufacturers are discussed.

中文翻译：

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健康目标激活如何驱动营养评分效应

之前的几项研究发现 Nutri-Score 营养标签可以改善消费者的食物选择。目前尚不清楚为什么会出现这种情况。我们采用由四项实验研究（总共覆盖 1150 名受访者和 145 种产品）组成的多方法方法，提供证据证明 Nutri-Score 可以作为健康首要因素，并本身激活健康目标。这一健康目标反过来又促使消费者做出更健康的食物选择。作为实验因果链设计的一部分，研究 1 (n = 304) 表明，产品包装上营养评分的存在（与不存在）会导致消费者激活健康目标。研究 2（n = 351）表明，对健康目标的操纵可以提高受访者购物篮的健康程度。研究 3 (n = 225) 和 4 (n = 259) 使用传统的中介测量设计（研究 3 和 4）复制了这一实质性发现，同时排除了作为对营养的竞争性解释的禁令性社会规范。分数效应（研究 4）。确定营养评分为何能够增强健康食品选择非常重要，因为它可以增强我们对如何进一步改进营养标签的理解。讨论了对公共政策制定者、零售商和制造商的影响。